Limits
by emilybuj
Summary: Harry is tired of the fighting. Ginny wants to do whatever it takes to keep him, but her efforts may end up pushing him further toward another woman in his life. Rated T for light language.
1. Chapter 1

In his barley sober state, Harry was convinced that he was at fault. In fact, he was nearly always convinced that he was at fault. Very rarely did Harry subject himself to this amount of firewhisky, but tonight there had been plenty available, and he was in dire need of some form of escape.

It was just another stupid fight: that's what he kept telling himself. Just a few short hours ago Ginny had stormed out of their apparent, face as red as her hair, in a rage Harry could only compare to that of the Dragon he faced during the Tri-Wizard tournament. Harry found himself making more and more of these comparisons as time went on. Just last week he had noticed that when Ginny yelled, he would conjure up a banshee in his mind, surely remembering when Seamus Finnigan's Boggart transformed into one's image.

Today it was about moving out of their flat. Ginny badly wanted a bigger place. She obviously didn't care where, as she had listed off to Harry about a dozen different areas where she wouldn't mind living before Harry noted that he was quite comfortable with their apartment. Sure, Harry still easily had enough money to buy a comfortable home, practically anywhere. And Harry intended to make that investment when the time was right, and if he decided not to move to Grimmauld Place. (However when Harry brought up that option, Ginny seemed even more furious than before. She continued on about the inappropriateness of living in a muggle neighborhood, as well as the poor condition of the house: something that _apparently_ could not ever be fixed by magic or by hand.)

Harry didn't raise his voice about the matter until Ginny made a comment about the rent. "Excuse me? But I do believe _I _am the one who has been paying the bills around here for the past few months," he had yelled back, forgetting to be sympathetic about Ginny's multiple pay cuts. And with that comment, Ginny yelled a few more choice words before storming out, presumably staying at Clara's for the nights. Clara was one of Ginny's co-workers, whom became close to Ginny in their first months of working as journalists for various papers. Ginny finally settled at the prophet, while Clara tended to deal with international papers, but the two remained close friends.

Harry heard a knock at the door. He would be damned if it was her. It took at least 12 hours for Ginny to calm down from any sort of altercation. At first when he stood, Harry wobbled, losing his balance at the slight dizziness dancing about his head. He managed to compose himself and walk to the door, opening it just a crack at first. Seeing a familiar face, he opened it up, and beckoned his visitor inside.

"Harry have you been drinking?" That would be her first words to him. She would be able to tell that he was slightly off-kilter, having downed one too many shots. She raised an eyebrow, as he had apparently been taking too long to reply.

"Hi Hermione," his intelligent response. It wasn't until this moment he considered the state of his appearance. His hair was disheveled, sticking up in all places. And even though this phenomena wasn't exactly new, he became suddenly aware of its behavior and tried to pat it down. All while he cursed softly at a couple of stains near the bottom of his shirt. Two of them no doubt being from the times he spilled his drink, another that he couldn't quite identify, but presumed was acquired during dinner.

Hermione raised her eyebrow once again, before letting herself in with a shake of her head. Without missing a beat, she took the bottle Harry had been drinking from and capped it, placing it in the liquor cabinet, and muttering a charm that locked it up for the next 48 hours. "I've told you before Harry, drinking…"

"Isn't going to fix my problems with Ginny. I know Hermione… I know," Harry plopped down on the old purple couch, and rubbed his face with his hands. He grimaced at the feeling of his moist skin, and promptly wiped his palms on his jeans. He cleaned off his glasses, and replaced them on his flushed face.

Hermione sighed, and sat on the arm of the adjacent loveseat, looking upon harry with an expression laced with both concern and disappointment. "What happened this time?" she asked, emphasis on the words 'this time'. She had heard so many stories. There was the fight over where to spend holiday. The fight over Harry spending too much time at work. The fight about Ginny spending too much time at work. The fight about spending too much time at the Burrow. It was always something with Ginny and Harry. And Hermione sincerely hoped that they could work out the kinks soon. For the sake of their sanity, as well as her own.

"You mean to tell me Ron hasn't already told you?" Harry asked with a look of tired disbelief. Under normal circumstances, Ginny would end up pouring out all her emotions to her mother, who would without fail pass word on to Ron. Ron, barely able to work out his own problems, would contact Hermione, which more often than not, put Hermione in the position of 'sympathetic friend'. But the silence from her end told Harry that this wasn't exactly the case this time. "She wants to move out. I don't know… somewhere big and open. A nice house in a field or something. But… I'm just not ready for that. And it shouldn't have turned into such a big deal, but I took a low blow and made a comment about her not helping pay the rent," he shook his head at his own stupidity.

Hermione rolled her eyes while Harry wasn't looking. He was always playing the man at fault, and Ginny, always the martyr. By this point Hermione knew better than to take Harry's words at face value, and knew that he would have had to been pushed to take an argument as far as screaming or offensive words. And in this case, Hermione would surely have taken Harry's side. "Harry I know you feel bad but sometimes you just need to hold your ground, you know? Ginny is… well she's stubborn. Just as much as you. But sometimes you need to do what feels right for you too. I feel like you haven't done that in a while. Possibly ever."

Harry ran his hands through his hair, managing to mess up whatever hair he had fixed just moments ago. He didn't exactly know how to respond to that either. Because she was right. Harry, though rigid about personal beliefs and opinions, worked all too hard to make everybody around him happy, instead of himself. "I don't want to move," Harry said simply. "But I also don't want to sleep on the couch for the next week and a half."

Hermione laughed softly, "You guys always seem to work it out. I doubt this time is any different from the rest."

Harry heard Hermione's words, but wasn't truly listening. She continued on about the previous times that she helped Harry fix his cracking relationship. However, Harry zoned out after the comment about this time not being any different. "Harry?" he heard. "HARRY." His head snapped up toward Hermione. "Harry are you even listening to me?"

"I actually think this is different," Harry finally admitted with a sigh. "I… I don't know how much longer I'll be able to handle all this fighting. I don't know if I can stand another day walking on eggshells because I'm afraid to say one wrong word." Harry's head was pounding at this point. The firewhiskey was kind of wearing off, which reminded Harry that he had developed a migraine before he had started drinking. "I love her though Hermione. I just feel as if every time we patch up the cracks, we're making new ones right next to it. Pretty soon we're just going to crumble."

Hermione shrugged, "Maybe you should tell her that."

Harry let a 'ha' resound through the room. "That'll go over brilliantly I'm sure." He thought to himself for a moment, before turning to Hermione. "Wait…" he said, "If you didn't know about the fight… then why are you here?" he asked curiously.

"The Ellis Case?" Hermione reminded him. "Had you called to tell me you'd be a bit tipsy I wouldn't have bothered brining over the files." Harry just now noticed Hermione had brought her briefcase with her. Harry groaned. "Don't worry about it," Hermione said with a chuckle. "It's nothing I can't handle on my own. Besides, Ron's probably alone for the night too. I think Luna is on holiday with her father. I can always ask for his help."

"It's just finalization right?" Harry asked, trying to even remember where they had left off on their paperwork. After some training, Harry had become an Auror, and Ron soon followed. While Hermione started out as a healer, she found that she couldn't deny her true calling was with her best friends, and now worked in research and development for the Aurors. Harry often laughed, thinking of the times Hermione would sneak into the restricted section to gather whatever information was needed to get Harry's ass out of trouble that time. Nothing much had changed in that respect. Recently Hermione had been paired up with Harry and/or Ron on different cases, probably because there was some sort of novelty in keeping the 'golden trio' together.

"Yes," Hermione said shuffling through the papers without purpose.

"Then let's just get it done," Harry said definitely, "It'll help me get my mind of things anyway."

Hermione scoffed, but handed him the papers. "Frankly working away your troubles is not better than drinking," she stated, her tone a fine mixture of annoyance and intelligence. As if she knew better than Harry, which Harry knew was true, and therefore never argued.

Harry shook his head, "Come on then, we'll get it done, and only then can we 'properly' deal with my emotional downfall alright?" Harry hiccupped then sighed. He could still control himself, despite his lightheadedness, and although working might be difficult, he had already fallen a couple days behind on the case due to unforeseen circumstances of little importance.

Hermione shook her head, tossing half of the paperwork his way, and pulling out a quill of her own to fill out her half of the files. She sank back into the armchair, kicking off her black work shoes, and tucking her legs underneath herself. A few moments of silence passed, minus the occasional question, and the scribbling of quills. In reality, there was no need for Harry and Hermione to do paperwork together, but Harry always found it easier to finish his work with a source of motivation behind him.

After the first three pages Harry dropped his papers on the table. "Nevermind. I can't do this," he said, rubbing his face with his palms once again. Hermione just shook her head, and continued scribbling down neat loopy notes along the margins of her paperwork. She was easily on her 7th page. "How do you get everything done so fast?" he asked, jealous of her efficiency.

Hermione chuckled lightly, flipping over another page "I don't know. Years of good study habits perhaps. Focus I suppose. A trait you've always seemed to lack."

Harry narrowed his bright green eyes, and pushed himself up from the couch, staggering slightly toward the kitchen. "Want a drink?" he offered.

"Water please," Hermione answered, never once looking up from the stack of papers in front of her. As Harry poured two glasses of water he heard Hermione call from the other room. "Perhaps had you stayed sober you could focus better…"

"Shut up," he called back in a playful manner, steadying himself as he walked back into the living room, and handing her a glass of water. Sitting back down, he tried to focus harder on his paperwork, but after page 6 decided that he was really in no state to finish the final 5 pages. "I can't do this," he said.

"You're over halfway done Harry," Hermione said, as she placed her finished papers neatly in a folder and back into her briefcase. "I think you can handle it."

"No I really can't," Harry said with a chuckle. "I'll have it ready for Monday though. I always do." Harry had become notorious for his procrastination and his last minute scrambles to reach the deadline. Though somehow the work he did always received Hermione's approval. Hermione still rolled her eyes though at his continuous procrastination. Hermione had stopped trying to push Harry though. Because she could only imagine everything that went on in his mind and what sort of memories, long term and more recent, stuck with him during his work.

"Fine," Hermione said with a sigh, twirling one of her brown curls around her index finger. "Even though you're acting quite normal for somebody who has been drinking."

"Is it horrible that I've built up a tolerance?"

"Kind of." Hermione shifted herself over next to Harry as he hung his head in a sort of disgrace. She lifted his head up by his chin, figuring out that he hadn't shaved in a while by the scratchiness of his chin. And turning his face toward hers, she could see raven colored stubble. "Don't be that way," she said. "Things will improve."

"And if they don't?" He asked. The bags under his eyes seemed to darken as the question was asked.

"But they will," Hermione said. Harry only looked at her intently, waiting for a real answer – she presumed. She pulled the sleeves of her soft purple sweater over her hands, a habit she had recently developed when she didn't know the answer to something. "Well, Harry, if things don't get better… I'll be here for you," Hermione said, the most appropriate answer she could formulate.

Harry cracked a small smile. "I know Mione. You're always there for me. Thanks for that. It must be a second job to you, trying to deal with my crazy life."

Hermione shrugged, her brown curls falling off her shoulders. "I don't mind," she insisted. "And stop calling me Mione. You know I hate nicknames."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows, "But Hermione is just such… a cumbersome name. So long. So… long."

"Intelligent, Harry." Hermione leaned her head on Harry's shoulder, and his head leaned on top of hers, not for a moment minding the slightly bushy hair pressing against his face and tickling his nose.

"Why can't things with me and Gin be as simple as with you and me?" Harry asked.

"Because Harry," Hermione said, sighing before finishing her sentence, "To be quite frank about it… we're not dating." She laughed at the prospect. "I feel like as soon as people start spending too much time together they spend more and more of this shared time fighting." That's how it always was with herself and Ron when they dated. As well as a number of other failed relationships, ones barely able to get off the ground before some stupid argument ruined it.

"I feel like we could spend an eternity together and the biggest fight we'd get in would be about my drinking or your literature addiction, which I must say is much less of a problem unless you leave food on the stove again," Harry reminded Hermione of an incident where she nearly burned down her own flat.

"I thought we weren't going to speak of that anymore!" Hermione said, sitting up, putting on an angry face since Harry brought up the memory. She rolled her eyes as Harry laughed . "Alright, I should probably leave you be. Let you sleep this off," she said, standing up.

"You don't have to go if you don't want," Harry said. "It's not like Gin is coming back tonight," he said, tossing his paper work and quill onto the end table. "And I could use the company. And if you leave I may just take the time to figure out how to unlock the liquor cabinet," he said the last part jokingly.

Hermione laughed, crossing her arms across her chest. She guessed this was his way of saying he didn't really want to be alone right now. "Fine!" she finally said after Harry put on a puppy-dog pout. "Fine. I'll stay a while longer."

Harry smiled, he felt beyond lucky to have a friend as good as Hermione. Her and Ron had been the family he never had. And her presence had calmed him down from his anger toward Ginny almost instantly. "I'm not keeping you from a hot date or anything am I?" he joked.

Hermione glared, "I can still leave Mr. Potter." Harry knew full well that Hermione was single right now. He made fun of her when she was single. He made fun of her when she was dating. It was a lose-lose situation.

"Mione you know I love you. Don't leave. It means a lot that you're here," Harry said seriously, beckoning Hermione to stay with big green pleading eyes.

Hermione sighed, "I'll only stay if you stop calling me Mione."

"Alright Herms."

"… Mione is good."


	2. Chapter 2

"Harry, don't you think it would be nice to live in a big house? Somewhere where we don't have to be around other people so constantly?" Ginny played with Harry's hair, leaning against the left side of his body. She had indeed spent the night at Clara's then came back to the flat she and Harry shared the next day after lunch. She had cooled off quite a bit, but obviously wasn't finished speaking of the matter. A few moments passed, a few moments too long for Ginny's approval. "Harry?" Ginny asked, trying to get his attention.

"I don't know Gin," he finally said. "You'd never quite understand how… I don't want to be away from people. I have been away from people enough throughout my life."

"You're right," Ginny said, sitting up now. "I don't understand. And that's why we keep fighting about this." She huffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Nothing was said for a long while. "I wish I understood Harry…" she said softly. She wasn't happy that she didn't understand Harry's life. She wanted nothing more than to sympathize with the man she had desired for years.

"Nobody understands Ginny. It's not your fault," He stood up, and went toward the kitchen to get himself a glass of water. He had promised Hermione before she had left that he wouldn't drink any alcohol for the next week no matter what. So, even though he really wanted to crack open another bottle of fire whiskey, he just got himself a glass of water. Ginny followed him into the kitchen, leaning against the open doorframe that connected it to the dining room.

"I want to understand Harry," Ginny said. Harry laughed in an exasperated manner. "What?"

"You don't want to understand… well at least not for the right reasons. You want to understand so you know how to 'fix' me." Harry said.

"Harry that's absolutely…" Ginny started when Harry interrupted.

"a valid statement. And you know it," Harry pointed out. "And I may not be using the right words, but I'm close. You want to understand the way I think so you can convince me that a move is the best thing for us right now." Harry turned to look Ginny in the eyes, her expression was unchanged. It would be at this point, normally, where Harry would suggest dropping it, so that they wouldn't get into another fight so soon. However, he wasn't about to back down. He and Hermione had got to talking the previous night…

* * *

"Harry you can't just LET Ginny push you around that way. If you think she's wrong you need to let her know she's wrong," Hermione said. "Otherwise you're going to be miserable for the rest of your life."

"The rest of my life?" Harry asked. "Jeeze Hermione. You act like I've already proposed." He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table, something Ginny hated, but Ginny wasn't here right now.

"But won't you?" Hermione asked raising an eyebrow. "You do realize Ginny is expecting it right?" she asked smartly. She pulled her bushy hair up into a messy bun, to keep it out of her face. "I mean look at the facts Harry. You've been dating for _years_. You're making your way into your late twenties. She wants to move into a bigger house. She is obviously counting on it." She watched Harry's unchanging expression. "No need to seem so excited about the concept."

Harry shook his head, "Sorry. Just thinking is all," Harry said. He looked from the picture of him and Ginny on the table, to Hermione. "I guess part of me knows that's what she wants. What doesn't make sense to me is why that ISN'T what I want right now." He thought about the ring that was left to him in his vault. The one his father gave his mother. "I just… with all the fighting we've been doing it seems like a poor move to try to fix it with an engagement." Harry sighed and ran both of his hands through his hair, letting them come to a rest clasped on the back of his neck, as he hung his head, looking at his feet.

Hermione looked upon Harry with sad eyes. It wasn't all of a sudden he'd had these doubts, however Hermione was almost certain that she was the only one who knew about them. It was definitely odd that Harry would be turned off by the idea of marriage. She knew he always longed to be part of a family. "Harry…" she started, moving closer to Harry to rub his back with a delicate hand, "are you positive this is where you want to be in your life right now? Are you positive you're being true to yourself?"

Harry looked up into Hermione's eyes with a questioning stare. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Hermione put both of her hands in her lap, "I don't know Harry. I just feel like… I feel like you've changed a lot – especially in the past couple months… or maybe the past year." She stopped, but saw Harry's eyes begging her to go on. "You used to be this… stubborn, opinionated yet upbeat person. But more recently I see you falling back away from that. You're not sticking up for yourself, which I know you do sometimes with the people you love. It's beginning to get ridiculous though. And I've come over to you sitting on the couch drunk 7 times in the past 9 weeks."

"It hasn't been that often," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"Harry, I counted," Hermione said seriously. "And I feel that it's odd that you're staying away from the idea of starting a family. If anybody knows about how much you've wanted a family, it's me. I still remember talking to you about such things after Ron left during the horcrux hunt."

Harry shrugged, but he knew Hermione was right. He wanted nothing more than a family to call his own. And if this was the case, why was he trying so hard to avoid engagement to Ginny. Sure, there was the fighting, but something else was in the way too.

"Maybe I'm wrong," Hermione said, scooting away. Harry's gaze didn't leave the floor. "I've got to go. I'll call to check on you tomorrow," Hermione walked over and kissed Harry's cheek, "get some rest Harry. You look awfully tired."

Harry didn't get much sleep though. He did a lot of tossing and turning as he mulled over the simple conversation he had with Hermione. His sheets ended up on the floor by the time he woke up from the few hours of sleep he managed to muster. His thoughts continued to brew as he took his morning shower, and as he ate a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. His flat was eerily silent, and it bothered him, because his thoughts seemed that much louder.

Maybe this was a sign that he needed to move on. If a relationship wasn't going anywhere, why should he continue it? The problem was he never had to end a relationship before. He didn't know how to know it was time, or how to go about it. And Ginny was really the only woman he knew. Was he really just going to give up on that?

* * *

"You're being ridiculous Harry," Ginny said sharply. "I love you and I want us to grow as a couple, but you won't let us!"

"If you loved me, you would understand why I don't want to move Gin," Harry said turning to look her in the eyes. "Or you'd at least attempt. Moving into a home rather than an apartment isn't what makes a couple stronger. In fact, it's the exact opposite. If we can't live in close quarters together, we're just kidding ourselves moving into a bigger space."

"What does that even mean Harry?" Ginny asked, visibly annoyed now.

"I mean that I would rather move into an even SMALLER place, because that's how two people really get to know each other." Harry said, the way he saw some of Ron's true colors after living on the move in a small tent for months. The way he also realized how much of a brother Ron was to him. The way he learned how to make Hermione smile on a moment's notice. All of that happened because they were forced to remain close to each other.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Whatever Harry," she mumbled.

"SEE?" Harry said. "This is what I'm talking about. The things I say have no impact to you! It's like I don't even matter!"

"Of course you matter, Harry," Ginny said, face softening, and taking a step toward Harry.

"Yeah?" Harry asked, not falling for the sympathetic face Ginny was giving him. "Then why don't I want to move into a bigger place?" He asked, wondering if Ginny was even listening at all.

"How should I know Harry? Nothing you say makes sense anymore!" Ginny said, going back to her annoyed state.

Harry didn't say a word after this though. He just shook his head, and took another sip of his water, staring down at the floor. There was a long, strained silence between the two of them. Harry finally looked up to see Ginny standing in the door way sassily, hands on her hips, as if she was waiting for some explanation.

"Ginny…." He started. "I think we need a break…"

Ginny eyed Harry up and down like he had gone crazy. "Excuse me?" she asked, clearly baffled by the suggestion.

"I don't know Ginny. I just know I'm sick and tired of all this fighting. I think we need to call it off. At least for a little." He set his water on the counter.

Now Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. "We've been together for 8 years Harry. You think you can just decide that we're 'taking a break'?" she asked. "We're either together or we're not. None of this break nonsense," Ginny stated with a sharp voice. "So do you want to be with me or not?" she asked accusingly, taking steps toward Harry, fire in her eyes.

Harry swallowed hard, not believing what he was about to say. "No…"

Ginny took a step back, clearly shocked by the answer. The fire in her eyes didn't exactly leave, but it was dimmed with an almost immediate formation of tears. "What?" she asked with shock.

"No… Ginny. I don't…. I can't be with you. Not this way," Harry said, bracing himself for whatever Ginny was going to say. "I can't live with someone who doesn't take my opinions into consideration. I can't be with someone who doesn't seem to care about what I want. And I've learned with you that relationships involve give and take, but I'm tired of always being the one giving. And every time I try to bring it up to you, you run off" Harry waved his hand toward the door, gesturing as to what Ginny does. He looked down at the angry tears in her eyes, and his heart ached. But something inside him urged him to go through with it. "I can't do it to myself any more Gin. Maybe… after some time… if you can prove to me that you've changed, we can try this again."

Ginny took another step back, shaking her head, and wiping her eyes with the back of her palm. "Fine." She said composing herself, never liking being the one to show weakness. "Fine. I'll just be going then. I'm sick and tired of this ruddy apartment anyway." She turned and walked swiftly through the dining room, and through the living room, to the bedroom.

Harry hung his head as he heard her magically packing, and cursing. He ran his hand through his hair. He didn't want to move and intrude to make her madder. She hadn't tried to hex him… yet. And he didn't want to take that chance. The redness in her face told him that she would blow any minute.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: _Hey everyone. I'm so sorry for the extremely long wait. I actually just started college and I didn't want to touch any writing until I got totally settled. Lots of preparation and tons of time dedicated to homework already means that I just haven't been able to post anything. At this point, however, I'm settled in and used to my work load so I plan on updating more frequently and regularly. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Reviews are nice (: Feel free to point out any grammar/spelling mistakes as my normal beta reader isn't available at the moment._**

**_Also I don't own Harry Potter. My life sucks. _**

* * *

Ginny knocked on the apartment door of her best friend and co-worker, Clara. Her flame red hair was disheveled, and a cross look was plastered to her face. She waited just a moment before the door opened to reveal a tall brunette with icy blue eyes and a pale complexion. "Gin?" she asked, "again?" Clara, Ginny's best friend, stepped aside to make room for the ginger. This was not the first time Ginny had shown up to Clara's apartment at odd hours. Recently it had been happening more and more frequently.

Ginny rolled her eyes and let herself inside, trunk in tow. "Yes," Ginny whined, "Again. He says we should 'take a break'." She dropped her trunk in the middle of her friend's living room. She flopped on the couch, and kicked off her shoes. Clara sat in the arm chair across the room from Ginny, not minding her friend making a mess of her living room. They would move it all up to the guest room in a bit anyway.

"Define 'take a break'." Clara said crossing her arms across her chest, confused about what had actually happened between her best friend and Harry.

"I mean we broke up!" Ginny said before throwing her hands in the air in frustration. She grunted. "He's being absolutely ridiculous. Every time I try to take our relationship further, he refuses! And this time he just decided it was time to let go of it altogether" Clara's eyes widened. She knew Harry and Ginny's history inside and out. They had fought before, and Ginny would always stay the night at Clara's. It was easier than Harry trying to find somebody to stay with since he worked from a home office occasionally and most of his work was at their apartment. It was just an unspoken rule that Ginny would go to Clara's on the bad nights. But even the bad nights didn't equate to a break up. Usually Ginny would just vent and then go home in the morning where Harry would apologize, and everything went back to normal.

Clara made a wry face. "That's not much like Harry. You can usually get him to agree to anything…" Clara noted. She remembered some of the times Ginny brought her stories about how she convinced Harry to take her out to fancy dinners, to buy new furniture, and more recently trying to get him to move into a bigger house. Obviously, that argument was not going as well as the other ones. "This will blow over just like everything else," Clara said with a shrug. Ginny had Harry wrapped around her finger. There was simply no way this 'breakup' was real.

"I don't know Clar… he seemed pretty serious," Ginny said with a sigh, "God… I can't let him do this to us." She looked up at her best friend and continued, "He's the only person I've ever been able to see myself with. He's just… too perfect. Nobody deserves him."

"Except you?" Clara asked sassily with a laugh, placing a hand on her hip.

"You know what I mean!" Ginny said with a roll of her eyes. "I'll just go back tomorrow and talk to him," she said. "He was probably just speaking irrationally in the moment anyway. He does that time to time." Ginny hoped at least.

That night, Ginny and Clara talked about what to say, and how Ginny could convince Harry that their relationship was worth fighting for. They picked out an outfit for Gin to wear. They bashed Harry a little to make Ginny feel better, then talked about how amazing he was to remind Ginny why he loved him. Clara was always supportive of Ginny when it came to her relationship with Harry. Clara only wished she loved somebody the way that Ginny loved Harry: her devotion was greater than anything Clara had ever experienced in one person. She was going to help Ginny make Harry fall in love with her all over again.

* * *

The next morning, Ginny did just as they had planned. She put on a nice little green sundress and heels. She brushed her hair out, and put on her makeup, and practiced some flirty faces in the mirror. Clara was still asleep, but she had already wished Ginny luck the previous night. Ginny already knew that her friend would simply tell her to 'reel him in' and that she looked gorgeous, and that there was no way Harry could say no to her dressed like that. With the confidence of her best friend's imagined support, Ginny left the small house.

She aparated to the door of her and Harry's apartment, then knocked. She tucked a hair behind her ear while she waited patiently. It was late enough for Harry to be awake, as he had to go to work. But it was early enough that he'd probably still be a mess, and in his normal morning groggy state. Therefore, he would just let Ginny back in. It was a tactic Ginny used many times before. She knew that Harry hated mornings, and didn't want to make them more difficult than they already were.

Harry opened the door, and much to Ginny's surprise he was fully dressed, and wide awake. His hair was still an absolute mess, but that was just Harry. "Hi, Ginny," Harry said, less than enthusiastically and with a little confusion.

"Hi Harry…" Ginny started. "I just wanted to make it here before you left for work so I could apologize," she explained as she went to touch his arm affectionately, but Harry pulled away.

"Gin… thanks for the apology, but I was serious. I need a break from this," Harry said. "I don't want to be with you right now," Harry elaborated, trying to make it clear. He adjusted his tie, clearly not interested in making any amends with Ginny, at least not at this moment.

Ginny's face contorted to a scowl. "And why not? What's so wrong with me Harry?"

"Gin…" Harry sighed. "You know… I love you. But… you've been…" Harry searched for the right word. Every part of him wanted to say 'a bitch' but he held back. Before he could finish his statement, he was interrupted.

"Is everything ok Harry?" a voice came from within his apartment. Ginny recognized the voice, and she narrowed her eyes, rising up on her toes to look past Harry. Standing in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen stood no other than Hermione Granger.

"Oh so THIS is what this is about?" Ginny asked in a rage. "You left ME so you can have a little fun with HER?" Her tone was accusing, and her face was turning red very quickly. Hermione blushed, clearly embarrassed by what she had accidentally started, and she retreated back into the kitchen, unsure of how else to escape the situation. "How long has this been going on Harry?"

Harry looked between his red faced ex, and the place where his best friend had been standing. "Gin… that's not why she's here," is all Harry could manage to say before Ginny started again.

"You know what Harry? I thought you were better than this. I literally thought you were the most amazing guy in the world. And you do THIS to me? Cheat on me?" Ginny had already moved past the point of angry, and had moved onto hurt. Her eyes filled with tears which quickly began to fall down her face.

Harry was weak. Especially when it came to people crying. Especially when it came to Ginny crying. Usually Ginny would only get mad at him. Never upset or hurt by his fault. "Gin," he said sweetly, "Please… please don't cry." He reached forward, but this time Ginny pulled away. "Ginny I'm not cheating on you. I never did cheat on you," he explained. "I never would. I love you."

"Then why can't we be together Harry?" Ginny asked, the tears still falling down her eyes.

"Because you don't understand me," Harry said simply. "And I don't understand myself very well right now either. That doesn't help." He sighed. "I stand by my decision Ginny. I need a break from us. That doesn't mean I'm saying goodbye forever. But for now… I need some time."

Ginny was not totally convinced by Harry, of course. The thought of him sleeping with Hermione was still burned into her mind. And she still didn't understand why they couldn't figure things out together. But clearly she wasn't going to get her way right now. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears off her face, regaining composure. "Fine," she uttered, a slight tone of anger breaking back through her voice. "Fine," she repeated, "I'll just be going then I suppose. I'll be at Clara's. You know… if you change your mind." Ginny gave Harry a purposely hopeful smile, just as she turned to retreat down the stairs. She disappeared as she aparated back to her temporary home.

Harry closed the door and rest his forehead on it. He didn't expect her to come back so soon, and he didn't expect himself to already be so weak. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around to Hermione with a sad smile. "Well that felt horrible," he said with a chuckle.

"Do you think you did the right thing?" Hermione asked him seriously, making sure her friend was doing what was absolutely best for himself.

Harry paused, and then said "Yes, yes I do." He sighed, and ran a hand through his unruly hair. "I already feel less stressed. Well… before she showed up at my door anyway."

"I'm sorry if I made that worse," Hermione said with an apologetic expression, "Had I known it was her…" Hermione didn't have to finish the statement. Harry knew she was sorry, and Hermione knew Harry could tell exactly what she was sorry for. It was no use in telling Hermione it wasn't her fault though. She would continue to apologize for it anyway. Harry simply accepted it.

"I know," Harry said, "It's ok." And it was ok, because right now his mind was free. He felt like he could think and speak without being criticized, and was forming clearer thoughts. He was working things out in his head, and trying to picture where he wanted to be and what he wanted to be doing with his life. Sometimes the picture included Ginny. Sometimes it didn't. It would still be a while before he figured that part out. But for now, it was just nice to be able to think about these things without the pressure of a girlfriend who wanted everything on command.

"Well you handled that very well," Hermione said, fixing Harry's tie since he was unable to do so on his own. She smiled up at him, Harry smiled back. Hermione had this way of knowing what to say to make Harry feel even just a little bit better. He thanked god he had a friend like her to get him through crazy times like these. Ron certainly wasn't going to be of any help.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry walked into his office at 7:30 in the morning. Early. Early was not an adjective anybody ever really used to describe Harry Potter. And not only was Harry early for work, he looked ready, and wide awake. His suit was clean pressed, his tie was only slightly crooked. His hair was slightly less disheveled as usual. His eyes were not drooping like most mornings, and he had a slight smile on his face as he passed coworkers sitting at their desks in the Auror Department. Harry was normally known to not be a morning person, however today he was up and ready to go. This upbeat demeanor caught the attention of somebody else in the office, whom hadn't seen Harry awake at 7:30 in the morning since their years at Hogwarts.

"Harry," Hermione said, taking a couple extra steps to catch up with him. "Are you alright?"

Harry contorted his face into a questioning glance, and asked Hermione, "What do you mean? Do I look bad or upset or something?"

"You're here 30 minutes before you're supposed to be," Hermione pointed out, "Who the hell are you and what have you done with Harry James Potter?" Hermione nudged Harry jokingly. She couldn't deny that he had been less stressed lately. He had even been sleeping better at night and therefore getting to work in a much timelier manner. Now if only she could get Ron to do the same…

Harry laughed with Hermione and shrugged. "I'm Daniel Garrison," Harry joked making up a name, "Harry Potter is locked in his basement, bound to a chair with Slytherin ties". It had been a full week since Ginny showed up at his door. And so far, Harry felt great: better than he had in a long time. He was sleeping better, eating better, even thinking better. He had proven to himself that he could do his paperwork in one sitting if he truly set his mind to it. Of course, he preferred procrastinating still, but he could complete it all in just a little more time that Hermione.

"Well it's nice to meet you Daniel. My name is Hermione," Hermione continued to joke "We should do lunch sometime. But for now, I believe you have duties to attend to."

"I'm a half hour early!" Harry complained, but the look in Hermione's eyes told him that he should probably retreat to his office and start working. Harry sighed, and muttered a quick "Fine" before heading into his office. The ministry had wanted to give Harry a private office, but he refused – especially since they insisted on him working with a partner. Especially since that partner was usually Ron. Harry sometimes believed the ministry just loved the idealist image of the 'Golden Trio' and would do whatever they had to in order for the friends to continue working together. Harry didn't mind, of course. He just wanted to share the room with Ron.

Harry walked into the large office and turned to the left where his desk was located. Harry's half of the room was fairly organized. There were some papers scattered about his desk, but his files and books were orderly on the full-wall bookshelf behind his desk. Every now and then there would be a kink-knack between books or a picture frame or some other object to fill up space. He moved to the bookshelf, and picked up one of the pictures of him and Ginny. He still wasn't sure what he wanted to do with it. He had left it for the past week, but he felt like it was just reminding him of her – and he didn't want to miss her. Not yet anyway.

So Harry decided then to take down the pictures of Ginny. There were three. He stacked them on his desk; face down, so her eyes couldn't look into his as he worked. He just left them there for the time being.

Harry's side of the room was very professional looking. He hadn't meant it to end up that way, but it simply had. He didn't have a lot of collectables or family photos he COULD put up. All that remained after taking down Ginny's pictures were a picture of Harry and his parents, a picture of Harry with Ron and Hermione their first year in Hogwarts, and a picture of Teddy Lupin which usually stayed right on Harry's desk. Aside from those few pictures, Harry didn't keep a lot around his office that wasn't work related.

On the other side of the room, however, Ron kept an office of controlled chaos, cluttered with Chudley Cannon's memorabilia and tons of photos: his nieces and nephews mostly. His files were usually spread across his desk, never put away for the night. And there was always some sort of snack food available in one of the drawers of his desk. Upon first glance, one may think the two couldn't possibly share an office in a functioning manner. But Harry wouldn't change a thing, because Ron's side of the room reminded him that it was ok to be a little crazy - even at work.

Harry sat down and pulled a few files, starting to leaf through the information so he could choose which Aurors were to go on the mission. Harry had been in charge of mission briefing and assignment for a few months. He enjoyed being able to choose which assignments he went on, but also knew that a great responsibility came with that power. Even for the most dangerous missions, if he were the right one for the job, he would go.

The missions for that day, however, were particularly dull, and upon reading them Harry felt very sleepy: like his usual morning self. In the middle of drifting off, Ron walked into the office. "Hey…" he said stopping, "You're never here before me, mate." Ron walked toward Harry's desk to shake his hand.

"Yeah well…" Harry started, "I suppose I'm sleeping better…" he didn't finish the statement knowing it could possibly upset Ron, but his friend seemed to understand and only nodded.

And instead of commenting on Harry's actions toward his sister, Ron only asked, "How are you though, Harry? Do you miss her?"

Harry knew the question would come eventually. He sighed, and sat for a brief moment in thought. "Ron… I don't think that's a fair question… but if I had to answer it according to how I feel right now… I'd have to say no," He took the file he just finished with and put it in a bin which magically transported it to the correct recipient. He couldn't look Ron in the eyes as he said it. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Ron make a slightly disappointed face. Harry wasn't sure if it Ron meant it for him or for his sister though.

"Oh well," Ron said, sounding a little disappointed. Ron had always liked the idea of him and Harry being real brothers. But beyond that, he knew that their relationship was between them. He wasn't going to let a breakup come in-between him and Harry or him and his sister. "What's on the agenda today?"

Harry handed a stack of files to Ron, and said, "The usual, boring missions that we'll give to the new Auror's. They need some experience and I think that…" Harry paused to look through one of the files "It's safe to say they can handle some smuggled dragons"

"Are they from Egypt?" Ron asked, thinking of his brother's previous work with dragons. Many species were illegal to keep as pets, and recently more and more people were trying to train the wild beasts. However, it was a fairly simple task and Ron and Harry had no problem passing it down to new Aurors, or even Aurors in training.

"Nah, Finland," Harry said. It was nice how calm things were at the ministry lately. There was an occasional uprising of Voldemort's old followers, but as the years passed, they became less frequent. And while the serenity was a new concept to Harry, he couldn't say he didn't mind being able to come home every night after work instead of staying out for weeks at a time fighting the remaining death eaters.

Ron grunted. He, on the other hand, was kind of waiting for something exciting to happen. Of course, he didn't want it to be too dangerous or too long of a mission, but he didn't want to spend the next portion of his life collecting illegal dragons. It wasn't what he signed up for. "Let's do something tomorrow, Harry. It's been a while since we've gone out."

Harry thought about it, before turning to Ron. "Don't you have a date with Luna?" he asked raising an eyebrow. Ron and Luna had been dating just over a year now. Somehow they worked well together. It was as if Luna could calm Ron down when he was angry, and he could fire her up when she was being too carefree. They balanced each other really well and Harry was happy to see they were happy. Harry and Ginny had gone on double dates with them a couple times, but obviously that wasn't going to happen tomorrow.

"Oh bloody hell," Ron said, clearly forgetting about the date. "Well… I would offer you to come along. I mean it's a casual thing. Dinner and maybe a movie. I kinda of wanted to take her to see one of those muggle movies you and Hermione took me too"

"It's fine mate," Harry said with a shrug. Something Ron said caught his attention. "Well…" Harry started, "What if I bring Hermione? I mean as long as Luna doesn't care." It was well known that Hermione and Ron used to date. They dated for quite a while. The breakup was mutual – meaning they needed to get away from each other before somebody sliced the other's head clean off. A few years later, though, and Hermione and Ron were on excellent terms.

"You know Luna," Ron said, "She adores Hermione. It'll be fine."

Harry nodded, "Alright, I'll talk to her after work. We're going to dinner tonight."

Ron made a face at Harry, "You know mate, it's great that you're hanging out with Hermione a lot recently, but don't let my sister see you. She'll blow her top clean off."

"It's already happened," Harry said. "She showed up at my door a week ago and freaked out because Hermione had come over for breakfast and she thought I was cheating on her the whole time. I figure at this point if it's already in her mind there's no point in trying to distance myself from my best friend. Ginny's going to believe whatever she wants."

"Yeah, that's Ginny for you," Ron sighed, shaking his head at his sister's antics. "She's a little batty but I love her."

"She's a lot batty," Harry corrected, "But I do too." It felt weird to admit it to Ron – the fact that he still loved Ginny. Ron's face showed a little confusion, as if asking about Harry's intentions, but he didn't ask. Harry still had a lot of thinking to do. His brain told him many times to run back to Ginny, and many times to run as far away as possible. He just needed to work it out.

* * *

"So you want to go on a double date tomorrow?" Harry asked Hermione cheekily as they chatted over their entrees. Harry had run out of food in his house since Ginny wasn't there to shop anymore, and his job hadn't allowed him to go shopping just yet. So tonight he took Hermione with him to a small restaurant outside of Diagon Alley. '_Because eating at a restaurant alone is depressing!' _he had insisted. Hermione, not one to give up the chance for a free dinner, accepted the offer.

"A double date?" Hermione asked after swallowing her bite of pasta. "Don't tell me Ron put you up to this?" Hermione smirked at Harry across the table, and dabbed some sauce off of her chin.

"Ron didn't put me up to anything. He just wanted to know if we'd like to see a muggle movie with him and Luna. I know I haven't seen one in ages, and I know how much you used to love the movies too," Harry explained before taking another bite of his steak.

"Ron does realize that muggle movies are basically wizard pictures with a plot, right?" Hermione asked Harry chuckling slightly.

"No idea," Harry answered matching Hermione's chuckle.

"You know Harry…" Hermione started, but then paused as if reconsidering what she was about to say. "You seem… different."

"Different?"

"Yes Harry, different. Not in a bad way though," Hermione clarified. "It's just… you're a lot happier and more upbeat than I've seen you. You didn't order any alcohol with your dinner. It's… nice."

"Well I'm a lot less stressed," Harry admitted, "I've been sleeping better."

"I'm glad," Hermione said with a smile, not asking why or how Harry felt about this change yet, or what it meant for him and Ginny. But Hermione could already see him falling out of whatever delusion of love he was in. The smile he carried on his face every morning was proof. She loved that smile, and prayed it wouldn't go away.

"So that date?" Harry asked with a wink.

"In your dreams Potter," Hermione shot back playfully. "But maybe I'll tag along if you let me pay for myself this time."

"Deal" Harry said with a laugh, smiling at Hermione. He couldn't remember being this carefree over dinner in quite a while.

And somebody else in the restaurant noticed Harry's cheerful demeanor too. She hadn't seen Harry so happy in quite some time. And she was watching him across the restaurant with cold, glaring brown eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

"Gin I'm sure that it's nothing serious…" Clara said to Ginny who continuously watched Harry and Hermione from across the restaurant. They had gone out for a bite to eat, and when Harry walked in with Miss Granger, Ginny insisted they stay a little longer. Of course, Clara agreed. She had no qualms about keeping an eye on Harry. Ginny suspected him of cheating on her with Herimone while they were in a relationship, and if Ginny wanted Harry back Hermione would have to be out of the picture. But the dinner they were having seemed very innocent to Clara.

"You don't know that," Ginny stated, being sure to remain back where Harry wouldn't notice her, but still get a good look at the two. Under normal circumstances Ginny wouldn't think anything of Harry spending time with Hermione. However, since the 'breakup' (Ginny was still wary to call it that) the only time Ginny ever saw Harry was with Hermione, and it made Ginny increasingly suspicious. "They've been best friends since they were 11. That in itself is enough to make me slightly uncomfortable. "

It secretly always had. Hermione and Harry definitely had a bond that Ginny could not describe. She was always curious about what happened between them during the horcrux hunt. She would ask occasionally. Harry always insisted that nothing happened the way Ginny thought. She eventually dismissed the claims, but the fear would resurface in her every now and again. What Hermione helped Harry through was more than Ginny had ever done for Harry, though she certainly tried.

Clara agreed, it was a long time that Harry and Hermione had known each other, but she doubted it could ever turn into something romantic. "Well Gin, I mean… yeah they've known each other all that time, but she dated your brother. And I think that boys avoid shagging their best friend's ex-girlfriends."

"Yes but I also think best mates avoid shagging each other's little sisters too," Gin replied smartly. She stirred her drink with her straw, eyes never leaving the couple at the table in the distance. "It just makes me nervous," Gin said softly.

"I know," Clara said. "You just need to figure out how to get him back," Clara said with a shrug. "You know… like you usually do. Only this time it has to be something that will work for forever. You don't want to have to go through this again. If you want that ring around your finger you better reel him in and hold on to him like there's no tomorrow." Clara sipped at her martini and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I've been waiting for a Potter wedding for years now, you know. The wait is killing me."

Ginny laughed at her friend, "Oh shut it, would you." Ginny would always be the one to talk about her and Harry's wedding. Clara was always the one telling her to be patient, and that it will come in good time. Now Clara was mocking her to make her laugh. However, simultaneously, it stung Ginny's heart to know that it was further away now than it probably ever had been. She sighed, "Is it really so much to ask for? A better future? A better home?"

Ginny had dreams, dreams of a big house on an open field with 3 to 4 children and perhaps some pets. She wanted to spoil her kids rotten and give them everything she never had. And she wanted Harry to help her do all of that. But he would not commit to the dream Ginny had for them.

"I don't think so," Clara said looking over at Harry. "But you know… he's Harry Potter. He's complicated."

"Please, Clara," Ginny scoffed, "He's a man. I don't care if he's Harry Potter or not. They're simple minded creatures." This time Clara laughed as Ginny continued, "He says he isn't ready, that things are moving too fast. We have been dating for 7 years! How much slower could we go?" she asked. Clara shrugged in reply , not sure how to reply to that. It was an awfully long time that Ginny and Harry had been dating. Granted, it was on-again-off-again, but generally, Clara thought they always seemed happy. At least from what Ginny told her.

Clara really didn't know Harry too well. She had met him on multiple occasions, but he never sat down to talk with her or joined Clara and Ginny for dinner or any other outing. Frankly, Clara wasn't very sure that Harry liked her too much. But Ginny seemed to adore the man more than Clara had ever thought possible, so she assumed that he had to have redeeming qualities. After all, he was Harry Potter.

"I can't watch this anymore," Ginny said getting and starting to walk over toward the table, but Clara caught her wrist.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Clara asked, pulling Ginny back down to the table, and into her seat.

"I'm going to go get my boyfriend back!" Ginny whined.

"I think you've had one drink too many Gin," Clara said with a chuckle. "I don't know how you honestly expect you'll be doing yourself any good by going over there and interrupting his dinner."

Ginny groaned, "But I have to do something!"

Clara looked up to see Harry and Hermione getting up from their table, smiling toward each other, and then leaving the restaurant. It was only then that she let go of Ginny's wrist. "There. They're gone. "

"Great, you just let him walk out of here with a woman who isn't me. How do I ever repay you?" Ginny asked in the most sarcastic tone she could produce.

Clara glared for a moment, "Pull yourself together Ginevera." Ginny hated when Clara used her full name to scold her, and she winced as it left Clara's lips. "We're going home, and we're going to come up with a foolproof plan for you to win him back. Right now, ok?" Clara said, getting up and putting her coat on.

Ginny sighed, "Fine. But it better be one bloody good plan."


End file.
